There had been regular meetings of the LGBT Equalities Forum since the Peter Tatchell Equalities day (see below), chaired by Cath Browne of the University of Brighton and including public and voluntary sector bodies. There was funding for research to see how public bodies are meeting their responsibilities under the Equalities Act. A draft questionnaire of sample questions to ask public bodies on LGBT issues was circulated before the questionnaire was distributed to local LGBT people.

Regular meetings of the Equalities Forum were held on a monthly basis. The meetings included representatives from the Police, Education, Libraries Service, Social Services Adult Care as well as others.

The meetings took place at University Centre Hastings.
‘What have you done for us lately?’
Local services support the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community

On Saturday November 5th 2011, local lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people were informed just how much service providers had ‘done for them lately’. The day was a huge success, with attendance from Sussex Police, East Sussex County Council, Hastings and Rother Children’s Centres and Hasting Borough Council. Hosting the event, University of Brighton researchers spoke about a recent mapping exercise, which found that although locally public services are doing well, there are still areas that they would like to improve. With the emphasise on ‘the public’ to hold services to account on equalities issues, this was an important occasion to think about how this might happen. Voluntary and community organisations – Hastings & Rother Rainbow Alliance, BourneOut and Hastings Voluntary Action – called on services to support LGBT people in getting involved, and on LGBT people to get in touch at this crucial time.

The forum launched the much-awaited survey, designed by and for local LGBT people to collect information on LGBT lives in Hastings, Rother and East Sussex. If you are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans and live, work or socialise in Hastings, Rother and/or East Sussex, you are invited to fill it in now at www.surveymonkey.com/s/lgbthastingsandrother. The results will be used to inform the policies and initiatives of local public services and community groups, and to improve understandings of the current state of LGBT equalities in the local area.

The LGBT Equalities Forum includes members from local community groups such as the Hastings & Rother Rainbow Alliance, public services like the police and the NHS, activists, students, academics and interested individuals. To find out more about the forum, its research and the new questionnaire, contact the LGBT Equalities in Hastings, Rother & East Sussex Forum through Nick McGlynn (n.mcglynn2@brighton.ac.uk) or search ‘lgbthastingsandrother’ on Facebook!

28/06/10 PRESS RELEASE

A close-up look at gay life in Hastings

The University of Brighton is funding research into the experiences of Lesbian , Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in our local communities. This is a development from recent legislation to ensure the end of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or identity.
Over the coming months researchers from the University will gather information on the policies of local employers and providers of services, which will be used to high-light areas of continuing service shortfalls and discrimination.
A diverse group of local organisations and academics have planned the new project. Prominent LGBT activist, Hastings-based Charles Neal, said, “This group aims not only to foreground LGBT equalities work and highlight areas for improvement, but also to create a space for services to work with LGBT communities in a spirit of partnership.”
He added, “It will begin with an audit of all public bodies to see how they are meeting their equalities duties and catering for their LGBT populations. Our group is wide-ranging and includes representatives from local authorities, the NHS, prisons and emergency services. “
The Hastings and Rother Rainbow Alliance (HRRA) and the Hastings and Rother LGBT Wellbeing Group approached the University of Brighton last year to develop a partnership and the research is being funded by the On Our Doorsteps initiative which aims to strengthen local university and community links. On Our Doorsteps is run within the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp).
Any groups or organisations who would like to be involved in this project, or if you are a member of an LGBT community who would like to be involved, contact Nick McGlynn (n.mcglynn@brighton.ac.uk) to find out more.
Previous Events:

Equalities Day

HRRA and the Wellbeing group in conjunction with Hastings Counselling Service organised an Equalities Day on 26 February 2010 in Hastings, Speakers were Peter Tatchell and Michael Foster (then MP for Hastings and Rye), and there was a lunch and workshops. The main purpose of this event was to educate service providers on the needs of LGBT people. The day was a lot of work, but those who attended stated that it was a very successful event. The local newspaper covered the event and has a video interview with the speakers.

LGBT Equalities Forum (follow-up to Equalities Day)

This was a well-attended very positive meeting, with the emphasis on what service providers can do to make Hastings and Rother better for the LGBT community.
Inspired by the Equalities Day, Councillor Jay Kramer submitted an amendment to Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet report on the Single Equalities Scheme which commits the council to addressing LGBT issues. A LGBT pack, including the Stonewall DVD Fit, on homophobic bullying in schools, has also been distributed to every school in East Sussex.